Seeing a fantasy adventure unfold through the eyes of dragons is fresh, rather refreshing.... particularly in a world where dragons are the predominant species (humans are inexistent so far....). But the writing is only mediocre and the pace of both plot as well as character development are somewhat inconsistent. There are moments where things happen too quickly (e.g. Fortune's falling in love with Gossamer) and others where there is too much dwelling on the journey and minor details that do not contribute much to the character or plot. Feels as though there are moments of lull while the author searches for inspiration on how to carry on.

An interesting read, but certainly not something that I will lose sleep over.

Dragon charm is a beautifully written and highly enthralling book. I could just feel the desperation and hope comming out of characters like fortune. It brings life to our percieved version of dragons. No longer are the stupid and eat the fair maden in distress but have lives and opions and feelings. Graham Edwards has brought out the best and worst in dragons. A highly commendable book.

Dragoncharm and it's sequels I found was a most interesting read. By this I mean unique, very creative. Something good fantasy writers always aim for. In this novel the characters are almost all dragons, written from a dragons point of view. I credit dragon books, especially the famous Anne Mc Caffrey saga, where dragons have leading roles. The storyline, from the beginning is hard to understand, as it talks of things yet unexplained by the author. It isn't till the middle (or past) you begin to fully understand. Also, although the book seems to drag on it doesn't get boring. The characters, dragons of course are almost constantly amid action. The story follows (basically) the trail of Fortune and Cumber, charmed and natural on their quest to save dragonkind from itself. On the way they gather allies and enemies and it all leads to a showdown in the magic plated mountain - Covemere.The book indeed has a lot too do with magic. All in all the plot may not be completly original but the way it's set out is rare. A good buy for dragon lovers. Note = story is continued in novels Dragonstorm and Dragonflame.

This is an interesting, if long-winded, account of the events leading up to Gough Whitlan's election as Australian prime minister--and his subsequent dismissal from office. Written by his former press secretary and close adviser/friend, it is extremely sympathetic to Whitlam and his strong socialist agenda.Its major weakness is that it fails to explore, much less describe in detail, the chief reason for the Labor Party's great schism, namely, the Communist takeover of so many unions and its influence in the Labor Party. end review

The definitive account, by Whitlam's speechwriter, of the turbulent events of Gough Whitlams' primeminstership and government. Arguably, one of Australia's most interesting, and turbulent political periods, the drama and immediacy of the times rings true in this superb account.

For anyone interested in the history of the English monarchy and the Civil War, this is a great book. It is well researched, elegantly written, and provides a fascinating insight into this melancholy, intellectual and kind-hearted man who proved himself, in many ways, spectacularly ill-suited for kingship. This book deserves to have a place in every history lover's shelf!

The story starts during Medievel times and ending in the present day. All the stories revolve around this one book, a love story written when books were rare and costly. This book brings couples together...they love the love story. Some of the stories don't flow as well as others. hence only the four stars. Overall a really wonderful book, makes you laugh and it makes you cry.

This is a very good introduction to the most famous French baroque composers: Lully, Charpentier, Lalande, Couperin and Rameau. The book gives an account of each of the composers' lives, lists all their works and comments on their style and major achievements. It is easy to read and one quickly gets a basic overview. However, if you are interested in a deeper exploration of the composers' opus, you may find yourself wanting more details. In that case you may want to read "Marc-Antoine Charpentier" by Catherine Cessac for more information on Charpentier or "Jean Baptiste de Lully and his Tragedies Lyriques" by Joyce Newman. Both books are very informative and detailed.

To appreciate the history of technological invention it's important to understand society and the scientific community at the time the inventors lived, as well as the political and industrial forces.

The Telephone Patent Conspiracy of 1876 is a good introduction to understanding science and society at the time Thomas Alva Edison, Alexander Graham Bell and a lot of their contemporary inventors, engineers and scientists changed the world by introducing electric lighting and telecommunicatins to the homes and offices.

The book may appear somewhat biased against Bell and focus mainly on the battle between Bell and Gray. People like Emile Berliner and Edison get only cursory treatment, and Antonio meucci is hardly mentioned. At times the author treats information from newspaper clippings with the same authority as official records. Readers are adviced to check the footnotes.

Still, the book is recommended reading for anyone interested in the history of technology.

Filled with the usual rich grasp of medieval life, and deep, convoluted plot lines, which she portrayed so well in her previous novels about the Astley family, "The Summer Queen" lacks the passion and romance which make nearly all of Ms. Graham's stories truly intriguing. The Summer Queen is worthwhile to read, but is forgettable by itself. I recommend that fans of historical fiction, first, find copies of her earlier novels, "Shield of Honor" and "The Vows of the Peacock", to find the real love stories behind this rather depressing tale of the direct ancestors of Lady Jane Grey.

"The Summer Queen" gives an insiders view to medieval life in the courts of Edward IV and his controversial Queen, Elizabeth Woodville during the bloody time of the War of the Roses. If the entertainment industry moguls of today were around during Elizabeth Woodville's life they would have made at least 3 movies of the week and a mini-series lasting several nights. Through the centuries she has been portrayed any number of ways but in "The Summer Queen" Ms Graham does an excellent job of telling Elizabeth's tale through the eyes of her daughter-in law Cicely, Marchioness of Dorset. And she also does the reader a kind favor. Cicely is an impartial observer. She neither paints Elizabeth Woodville as a heroine or as a murderous opportunist or the mysterious enchantress that so many think of her as. Rather she shows Elizabeth was a little of all of these things and more. So if you want a somewhat impartial albeit fictionalized version of Elizabeth Woodville and Edward IV and the times they lived in you might enjoy "The Summer Queen". I did.

THE HISTORICAL CONTENT OF THIS NOVEL WAS VERY INTERESTING. I HAD SO ENJOYED THE ON-GOING STORY OF THE ASTLEY FAMILY, THAT I HAD TO VISIT ASTLEY CASTLE AND CHURCH. The story of this family has so haunted me, that I continue to research what became of the family beyond this novel.

I bought this book recently to learn more about Stirling engines, their history, and their workings, with aspirations of building one from scratch. The level of depth of content is appropriate to the size and cost of the book, meaning that it is not an exhaustive study, and it does give a good background on the history and working of Stirling engines. In addition, there is a good list of resources in the back to further direct research and study.

However, I am appalled at the typos and editing of this book. In the introduction alone there are many mistakes: misuses of "it's" and "comprise" and several spelling and grammar mistakes. These continue throughout the book in varying degrees. (The chapters, I think, were written by different authors, but the styles were not unified, so quality varies.) In addition, the figures lack a consistent format and are clearly borrowed from other publications, with bad effect. In several cases, the figures are black and white copies of color originals, and the loss of detail is nearly complete. It is not apparent whether any original figures were developed for this book.

Some of content is conspicuously absent, too. For example, I was hoping to find a well written explanation of the different types of Stirling engines, and on the web, I have found many refences to alpha, beta, gamma, and delta types. While different engine types are explained, this naming scheme is not covered.

In general, I would not reccommend this book because of the sloppy editing and nearly useless figures. While it does present a good amount of material, there are some absences and the ever present typos making reading it a chore.

The copy of this book that I own is a manuscript copy, and so I cannot speak to the existence of the editing shortcomings described in other reviews. Furthermore it was given to me by the principal author, so if that biases this review then so be it.
However, I have to give a higher rating than just 2 stars. The book gives a very balanced review of the then current state of Stirling development, and gives clearheaded predictions as to what applications may develop, and what technical improvements are needed.
I particularly liked the section that dealt with the advantages and disadvantages of Stirling machines vs other alternatives. That section is of vital importance to people who would like to do something with stirling engines because it points out where to find the tiger in the grass, waiting to devour the unsuspecting hobbyist/engine builder.

It is not a book with much if any math or analysis, or detailed design information.